Emergency care assistants working for the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service have warned they will strike if ongoing pay disparities and mounting pressures are not urgently addressed.
Staff have spoken out about being paid at the lower NHS Band 3 level, despite their counterparts across the rest of the country – including at neighbouring South Central Ambulance Service – receiving Band 4 wages for doing the same job.
The frustration is being compounded by what they describe as growing expectations to cover Double Emergency Care Assistant (DECA) shifts, which are typically required when a paramedic is not available due to sickness or shortages. These DECA shifts, which see 2 emergency care assistants crew an ambulance without a paramedic, are becoming increasingly common, placing greater pressure on lower-paid staff.
One emergency care assistant has said:
“We are being paid less than others doing the same role elsewhere in the country. Yet we’re expected to step up when paramedics are short, running double ECA shifts with more responsibility and more risk.
“This is not sustainable. If we are ignored any longer, we will strike.”
Reassurances have been given that the Isle of Wight NHS Trust is undertaking a review of pay grades.
A spokesperson for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust has told Island Echo:
“We are aware that some ambulance trusts have been reviewing the job descriptions and banding (salary level) for Emergency Care Assistants (ECAs) within their service.
“We are undertaking a review to ensure that staff are appropriately compensated for the job they are contracted to deliver and our service works for the communities we serve.
“Emergency Care Assistants are a vital part of our ambulance service team, and we are committed to working with them on this and encourage them to continue sharing any questions or concerns about their role with us.”
With all the perks NHS staff receive and their decent
salaries and lucrative pensions and unlimited sick
pay, they still want more!
Just wait until Reform scrap the NHS